New Cretia
"Cretia. The Shining Jewel of the Empire. Who would've thought that this place was infested with Vullarians not too long ago." -Prime Minister Aerith Gainsborough on a visit to Cretia during the Expansion Era. New Cretia, or Cretia, was the throneworld of the Elders' Empire. Before the Empire's formation, Cretia was the Vullarian homeworld of Kirosis. After all life on the world was obliterated by Nova-Class Devastators, BMD and his allies terraformed the planet, making it habitable again. Cretia is the most heavily defended planet in the galaxy, boasting the latest and strongest planetary defenses. History Kirosis, the Vullarian homeworld Little is known about the Vullarian homeworld of Kirosis. The Vullarians were able to survive very harsh environments, but it was speculated that Kirosis was lush with steamy jungles that covered the span of the entire planet. Its continents were divided by two large bodies of water. Vullarians were not known to live in large cities, but within their surroundings, so they would have made their homes in the jungles. When ground forces encountered Vullarian settlements on Mirosis, the found large quarries that were used to build their starships. Any mountain ranges were used to create internal factories, smelting ore and forging weapons. Scientists and historians believed that Kirosis was no different. However, what made Kirosis their homeworld was the abundance of life. Like all forested areas, they were made to support large amounts of life. So, Kirosis made it easy for Vullarians to gather food and material. Destruction and Rebirth At the end of the Vullarian War, KCA General BMD ordered the deployment of the Republic's secret superweapons, the Nova Devastators. They effectively targeted all life on a specified area and eradicated them. The weapons were so powerful, it only took five Devastators to end all life on Kirosis. Preliminary surveys by BMD's forces confirmed that all life had been wiped out, their bodies incinerated. Even the ocean life did not escape the grim fate. The Devastators boiled the seas, melting away the abundant life dwelling in the deep waters. The same happened on the other two Vullarian worlds, ending the long war. BMD had already planned to use the dead worlds by the war's end. Republic scientists that had defected to his cause began preparations to terraform the planet. Terraforming was the one of two projects BMD had researched during the war, the other being the Nova bombs. The process took a little over a year, but the same was done for all the other dead worlds. BMD had already established the Empire, but had his subjects living in a flotilla of spaceships, both civilian and military. When terraforming was complete, Kirosis was renamed New Cretia, after the BMD's Cretian Citadel on Centre Dimension during the Second Dimensional War. Reconstruction was quick, for imports from the Republic was a great aid in the process. During this time, King Lyndon Pilot of Koft was deposed, replaced by Prime Minister Aerith Gainsborough. Koftian-Imperial relations blossomed, further aiding the construction of the Empire. The War with Ramas By the time Ramas and the Black Mirage emerged, the Empire had grown to the most powerful entity in the galaxy. Cretia was its seat of power, thus prompting it to be the most heavily defended planet in all Existence. When Ramas and his allies attacked the galaxy, they purposely left Cretia out of the equation. They knew that attacking Cretia would be a dangerous gamble. Not only would it have required large amounts of resources, but the chances of actually taking the planet was slim to none. So, the Mirage devoted its resources into attacking the other two factions and Imperial systems. When a counterattack was organized by the allied forces, BMD's Empress and wife, Nova Terra, controlled the government in her husband's absence. The ground attack on Ramas' capital of Char ultimately failed, putting BMD on the verge of death, and scattering both the KCA and Imperial Forces. BMD and the survivors fled back to Cretia to recover as Ramas continued his march across the galaxy. Though the threat of an attack on Cretia was minimal, the 1st Imperial Fleet was called back to defend Imperial borders. Meanwhile, the Mirage again assaulted the Solus System, an Imperial system. KCA and Imperial forces, along with those of the UED met Ramas' armies head-on. Eventually, they were able to break through and attempt another attack on Char. The Emperor would recover during this time, leading a vanguard of his own forces to defeat Ramas once and for all. With Ramas dead and his Umbral Staff destroyed, the War ended. Major Factions Imperial Intelligence Imperial Intelligence was established by Empress Nova Terra during the early days of the Empire. Imperial Agents were selected personally by the Empress. Intelligence had a select few operating Agents, by had a wide array of other personnel, who devoted their time gathering information for the Agents. The organization is directed by both the Empress and the Director of Intelligence. The first Director was Nyna Calixte, who was Director of Imperial Intelligence during her timeline in the Faraway dimension. Directer Calixte eventually resigned after the outbreak of the Vullarian War. She had wanted to get back in the field, instead of sitting behind a desk. She was replaced by Agent Miranda Lawson. The only other two Agents were Former Jedi Tahiri Veila and Agent Leliana of Thedas. Imperial Agents were known to be the best operatives in the galaxy. Their main rivals were that of the Coruscanti Elite Corps. However, while the Coruscanti Elite were bound by the wishes of their Chancellor, Imperial Agents had the authority to complete their missions with or without the approval of the Emperor, and by any means necessary. Of the three Agents, Leliana accompanied the Emperor during the first attack on Char. Agents were always female, chosen for their beauty and charm. The Empress stressed that this would give them an edge when dealing in personable situations as well as giving them a leg up on agile-required and stealth missions. Imperial Triad The Imperial Triad was the group of the top-most leaders of the Empire. The Emperor, The Dark Lord of the Sith, and The Chief of State of Argon entailed this group. BMD was known as both the Emperor and Dark Lord, but he deferred this role to Darth Sidious after the Sith Civil War. The Chief of State of the Empire's wealthiest world, Argon, was Gilad Pellaeon. The Triad's role was to decide on the major decisions regarding the Empire as a whole. Although all final decisions were made by the Emperor, the other two members acted as his advisors. Notable dealings involved decisions on expansion, interplanetary trade, and overall stability of the Empire. Recently, age has become a problem for the Triad. BMD's lost immortality and his associates' old age have prompted them to look for heirs. Being the Paramount leader of the Sith, BMD chose Sith Lady Ashanah as Sidious' replacement. As for himself, his daughter, Nebula would take the throne when BMD can rule no longer. As for Argon, Chief of State Pellaeon devoted much of his resources in procuring a highly qualified successor. From Koft, Valerian Mengsk had been chosen to succeed Pellaeon. The Imperial Knights The Imperial Knights were a group of Force users totally devoted to the Empire. They were chosen based on their Imperial citizenship and Force power. The Grandmaster of the Knights before the Vullarian War was Roan Fel. After his death on Char, during the first attack, Nebula Terra was chosen as his successor. The Imperial Knights are sworn to protect the Empire and its Emperor. They usually worked with the Sith, but have never liked it. In essence, they were Jedi who did not serve the Light Side of the Force, but the Empire above all else , Sigel Dare, and Ganner Krieg]]. Imperial Knights wore Red armor and had gauntlets made of cortosis. They all carried uniform silver-bladed lightsabers. The Emperor has restricted their recruitment to that of only Cretia and Argon. This is because he does not want to create an incident with the Jedi or the Sith. They were master Lightsaber duelists, focusing their training on that rather than their powers. Usually, Imperial Knights used the Force to enhance their dueling technique, delivering a burst of speed or a boost in power. Imperial Knights were instrumental in the war with Ramas. They usually accompanied both KCA and Imperial ground forces during major battles. In every major battle, there was at least one Imperial Knight present. Culture Major Languages Cretia is a center of culture for all sorts of beings in Existence. Thusly, thousands of forms of communication are exercised on the planet. Galactic Basic, like on all other major planets, is the official language of the Empire. Another major language is Litzell, which is the native tongue of the Elder Gods, is spoken among the Gods and the Faithful who had migrated to the planet from New Coruscant or Koft. As of late, the Asari mother tongue has become another prominent language, with the induction of the Asari Republics into the Empire. Life of New Cretia Cretia is the definition of "high society" in the galaxy. BMD wanted to Empire to symbolize all that was royal and divine in the galaxy, for he believed luxury was bred from power. Since the Empire was formed, architects and artisans have been hard at work in making the Imperial capital a place of envy for all beings in Existence. Cities were not built with towering skyscrapers like New Coruscant, but more like a serene metropolis. People who live and work on Cretia are usually wealthy, living in heavily populated urban centers. The countryside was reserved for tourists and terraforming projects. The Terraforming projects on all three former Vullarian worlds were wildly successful, but new and improved techniques were being researched for barren worlds in the galaxy. Since New Ziost was a haven for the Sith and the Dark Brotherhood and Argon was an Industrial Center, Cretia was the only grounds available for experimentation. The Imperial City is home only to the Emperor and his family. Other than the Imperial Palace, all diplomatic embassies and businesses of greatest importance are within the Imperial City's limits. Regular citizens live in cites and towns scattered throughout the planetscape, usually congregating around the Imperial City.